Lepro Lightweight LED Head Torch, Water Resistant Headlamp, 4 Lighting Modes, Battery Powered and Included, Helmet Lights for Sports Cycling Running Camping Reading [Energy Class A+]

This is an interesting, affordable, everyday torch that could work as a tactical one in a pinch. The form factor is very good and its ability to drain batteries all the way is useful. Battery life claims are a bit misleading though.Construction:The torch is very lightweight at just 44 grams with the elastic headband, 28 grams without, both measured without a battery. The dimensions without the headband are width 64mm, height 32mm and depth 40mm. The construction is plastic but seems strong enough for everyday use. The power button is on the bottom of the torch. A hinge allows adjusting the angle but only downward.The battery compartment can be accessed by lifting a catch with a fingernail. It has a rubber seal which presumably gives it sufficient protection from rain, but I don't think it would withstand immersion.The headband is elastic, 19mm (3/4 inches) wide and removable with enough adjustment range to fit anyone from a small child to adult. The torch can accept webbing up to about 22mm, so standard 1-inch MOLLE or PALS webbing is too wide for it.Functions:Pushing the power button cycles between five states: high white, low white, solid red, flashing red, off. There does not appear to be any way to skip modes, so turning the device on or off requires multiple button presses. That's not great for night vision, as you need to cycle through the white modes before getting to red.Beam:With a fresh set of batteries, the white beam is quite bright. It won't show for miles but is fine for a headlamp. The shape of the white beam is ok, not particularly even but sufficient for normal work. It looks fairly symmetrical. The red beam is, surprisingly, much tighter: despite using two red LEDs, the torch manages to produce a single tight, fairly uneven, round spot. It should be perfectly usable for nighttime work though.Battery and power:Here's where things get interesting. Unlike the majority of non-rechargeable head torches that take three AAA batteries, this one runs off a single AA battery. That's really useful; AA batteries are easier to come by and have higher capacities. A single battery also means you don't need to find three matching ones.What's particularly interesting about the torch is that it can drain batteries almost fully. I powered the torch from a bench power supply and gradually lowered the voltage until the torch stopped working. It was still perfectly functional, albeit dim, at 0.4 volts, and once on would stay lit at even lower voltages. Most battery powered devices stop working at perhaps 0.9-1.0 volts; that means that you could take a used battery from almost any other device and still use it on this torch. That could be a really useful feature in an emergency.Because the torch has the ability to suck the last bit of juice out of batteries, it has the potential to damage rechargeable NiMH batteries. With rechargeables it is important not to drain them beyond about 0.9 volts. Using rechargeables is possible but I would replace them as soon as the beam starts to get dimmer to avoid damaging the batteries.At 1.5 volts the torch draws about 2000mA on high beam, 850mA on low beam, 300mA on solid red and 200mA on flashing red. Oddly, the lower the battery voltage is, the less current it draws: the high beam draws 1700mA at 1.2V and 1250mA at 1.0V. As a result, the torch is very bright at first but dims fairly rapidly as the battery drains. This may be the source of the somewhat questionable battery life claim. I'd be very surprised if it after an hour on high beam it would still be bright enough to actually use.The battery that comes with the torch is mediocre; I measured its capacity under 500mA draw, and it would only supply 955 mAh before giving up; I got another 275mAh out of it at 250mA. A Varta Industrial Pro battery had about 50% more capacity.Conclusion:This is a really useful, compact, headlamp that takes a single AA battery and provides great value for money. Its ability to drain batteries almost completely is really handy, though using it with rechargeable batteries requires a bit of care. Take the battery life claims with a pinch of salt and you'll be happy with it.

Good light

Great little thing and the price is a bonus. Already helped me a few times at work. Surprisingly bright and comfy to wear. The button is a little bit fiddly but all In all, I am going to buy a couple more for the car and the tool box.

Works

UPDATEAfter posting my 1☆ review (read below) the seller contacted me and very kindly sent me a replacement unit.This one works perfectly. It even came with a battery in the box which the original one, which was faulty, didn't have.I couldn't be more happy. It's a great head torch and I can not fault the customer service.I have now given this item the 5 stars it deserves.FIRST REVIEWI can not say I am happy at all with this head torch. I bought it and it looked OK for the price and took it with me on an overnight camp. I was really looking forward to trying it out but unfortunately it simply will not turn off. While camping, my wife said 'why is your head torch showing 2 red lights?' to which I replied I had turned it off. Taking it off I found that, yes, two red lights were on so I turned it off again. Shortly after my wife said 'The lights are back on' and this just went on and on.On my return home I asked for advice on it but the advice has not solved the problem. I cycle through the light modes until it turns off but when you leave it for around 30 seconds the red lights slowly come back on and stay on. I have tried turning it off many many times but it just does the same thing every time. Not happy with it at all. However as it only cost £6.99 I can not be bothered to spend even more of my time packing it up and sending it back on top of all the time I have spent trying to get the thing to turn off, as my time is worth more than £6.99. Disappointed to say the least.

I bought this for reading and crosswords thinking it be ok on lowest power for this but battery lasts 4 hours at best and it regulates it poorly as last hour gets dimmer and dimmer. Also the plastic ridges on headband really dig in after a while and are uncomfortable. Elastic is overstretched at one edge after a month. Buy cheap buy twice I guess. If your using this for camping take a full pack of batteries. You’ll need them.

Perfect for dog walks, give to friends to see outside gas meters. A popular gift, has flashing options, and 2 light settings.

Quite impressed with this little headlamp it works for me when wild camping, I replaced the battery with an eneloop pro and works well for my needs for light around camp though switching over to a hanging lamp when in the tent